Jonathan Wilson was in Dublin tonight and his report has landed. Here it is! Congratulations to Atalanta, commiserations to Bayer Leverkusen, and thanks to you for reading this MBM. Nighty night.
Alonso is also asked why he decided to stay at Leverkusen next season despite offers from elsewhere. “There are many things … 18 months ago they came and I was no-one … they believe … they took the chance … we have a very good connection … many players I went to look for them and they came to the project, so it was too early … I’m happy to be here … for sure I will learn from today … it’s an experience that means we will keep improving.”
A very gracious Xabi Alonso talks to TNT. “We were not planning to have a bad day today … but for sure we had one … it was not meant to be … we could not cope with many difficult situations … the unbeaten run has come to an end but congratulations to Atalanta, they deserved it, so nothing more to say … it was not about tactics … individually they were better and as a team as well … we learn from that … it is hard … we have another final on Saturday … Atalanta were very brave … they defended really well so we could not create chances … they are a pretty special team … today was not our day … normally we get in better positions but today we couldn’t … it hurts because we wanted to lift the trophy but you can’t have everything … it doesn’t change the effort … this is football.”
Time for Atalanta to get down to some serious partying. Each player takes it in turns to hoist the trophy in front of their adoring fans. Hopefully everyone will manage to raise some other celebratory receptacles later, there’s probably somewhere in town. Meanwhile poor old Bayer Leverkusen trudge off sadly, their Invincible dream over having fallen at the penultimate hurdle, a terrible hangover already kicking in. On that subject, sort of, here’s Peter Oh: “Gasperini > Die Aspirine.” He’s here all week, ladies and gentlemen. Try the consumer healthcare products.
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The trophy presentation. Leverkusen receive their runners-up medals. A few of their players do that thing of taking it immediately off; hey, they’re disappointed, each to their own. Then Xabi Alonso comes across to congratulate Gian Piero Gasperini with a big smile. A moment of genuine warmth between the managers. Lovely to see … and even nicer to see Leverkusen then form a guard of honour for Atalanta, who go up to get their reward. Nobody’s taking those medals off! Berat Djimsiti takes receipt of the trophy but doesn’t lift it before making sure Marten de Roon, who was on the bench tonight but injured, gets a hand on it. Up it goes, Gian Piero Gasperini disappears into the middle of a celebratory scrum, and Atalanta have been a team together until the very end!
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Xabi Alonso looks utterly bereft. Grim. He tries his best to keep up the spirits of his players and fans, but you can tell he’s not feeling it. Ah well, there’s still the chance of a domestic double … and they’ll always be Invincibles in the Bundesliga, so it’s not all bad. Anyway, it would seem the die was cast. “It’s the year of the underdog,'” explains Simon McMahon. “If you don’t include Manchester City and Real Madrid, which I don’t. Both these sides were what you would call ‘unfancied’ at the start of the season, and have now won two of the biggest titles in European football. Dortmund are in the Champions League final, Ipswich in the Premiership. You probably know where I’m going with this, right? Li’l Scotland are going to win the Euros! It’s coming home!”
The hat-trick hero Ademola Lookman, of Lookman Final fame, speaks to TNT. “One of the best nights of my life, yeah … an amazing performance from the team … yeah, we did it, we did it, we did it! … not got many words to say but yeah, fantastic … third time lucky … I’m just happy we won … I’m so pleased … a lot of celebrating … we made history tonight!” He’s not so much happy as blissed out, safe in the knowledge that he’s made an indelible mark on the histories of both Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen. The man who scored the first hat-trick in a one-leg Uefa Cup / Europa League final. The man who won Atalanta’s first European trophy. The man who slayed the Invincibles.
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Gian Piero Gasperini and his men get dancing. Zooming all across the pitch, this way and that, tangles of limbs as everyone tries to hug everyone else at once. They’re the throughly deserved winners of the 2024 Europa League, having demolished the previously invincible Bayer Leverkusen. Demolished in style. Demolished from the get-go. Demolished by Ademola Lookman, who scored the first hat-trick in a Europa League final, and one of the best – almost certainly the best – in the entire history of European finals. What’s more, it wasn’t even a one-man show, because Éderson, Teun Koopmeiners, Gianluca Scamacca and Davide Zappacosta all delivered their best stuff from the top drawer, and the rest of the team weren’t too shabby either. Also a nod to young defender Giorgio Scalvini, who came on and strode around the place like he owned it. Breaking news: Italy aren’t half bad at producing defenders. A collective performance for the ages. What a way to win your first European trophy, and only your second major pot of all time!
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FULL TIME: Atalanta 3-0 Bayer Leverkusen
Bayer Leverkusen lose their first match since May 2023, but never mind that … Atalanta win their first trophy since June 1963!
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90 min +3: Lookman dribbles down the left and refuses to ship possession. It’s his ball, he can do what he wants with it.
90 min +2: Hlozek’s drive whistles past the right-hand post. Musso was scrambling but it went wide anyway.
90 min +1: Rafael Tolói comes on for Matteo Ruggeri.
90 min: A cross bobbles into the Atalanta box from the left. Hlozek is tugged back gently by Scalvini. VAR checks for a penalty, but (a) there wasn’t much in it, (b) there may have been an offside in the build-up, and (c) it doesn’t really matter because there are only four additional minutes to play, and even Leverkusen can’t wriggle out of this one.
88 min: Lookman executes a no-look back-flicked pass up the left touchline. It comes to nothing but that’s not really the point. He’s having the time of his life. He’s certainly playing the game of his life.
87 min: Atalanta pass it regally around the back. Their fans crack into their big bag of olés. What a performance this has been.
85 min: Tah nearly carelessly allows Toure to race clear down the right. Kovar comes out to hack clear. On the touchline, Xabi Alonso’s temper betrays him for the first time as he bawls his players out.
84 min: Davide Zappacosta and Gianluca Scamacca make way for Hans Hateboer and El Bilal Toure. “It’s not as huge of a stage, but Ademola Lookman’s hat-trick ending a legendary run of games without defeat puts me in mind of Helmut Rahn’s brace against the Magical Magyars in the 1954 World Cup final,” writes Kári Tulinius. “He’s written himself into the football history books.”
83 min: … but this is Bayer Leverkusen, of course. A goal, and you never know. Tella crosses low from the right. Schick attempts a cute flick at the near post but his effort is deflected out for a corner. Nothing comes of it.
81 min: Florian Wirtz and Jeremie Frimpong make way for Patrik Schick and Nathan Tella. Xabi Alonso clearly thinking about the German cup final at the weekend. He’s certainly wearing the look of a man who knows the jig is up.
79 min: Pašalić has the chance to release Lookman in for what would surely have been his fourth goal. But he doesn’t spot the pass and the move dribbles out. Shame.
77 min: Musso gathers a long punt on the edge of his box. His feet were initially outside, but by the time he touched the ball, he was back in. Leverkusen claim something, anything, out of desperation more than anything else.
GOAL! Atalanta 3-0 Bayer Leverkusen (Lookman 75)
Lookman has already scored two stunning goals, but this is the best of the lot! Scamacca makes off on the counter. He eventually passes to Lookman on his left. Lookman shifts the ball to his left to take Tapsoba out of the game, then lashes an unstoppable rising drive across Kovar and into the top right! That nearly took the entire frame of the goal out of the ground!
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73 min: Ederson nicks the ball off Frimpong and feels a gentle brush of finger on face. He takes the opportunity to go down. Andrich is then booked for getting up in the referee’s grille to complain about the cheap free kick.
71 min: It’s all a bit scrappy, which given the scoreline, suits Atalanta just fine.
70 min: Koopmeiners goes into the book for a big yank on Wirtz’s shoulder.
69 min: A double change for Leverkusen, as Alejandro Grimaldo and Exequiel Palacios make way for Robert Andrich and Adam Hložek. Andrich’s very first act is to take his eye off the ball when offered an opportunity to stride down the middle towards the Atalanta box.
68 min: Nothing comes of the free kick.
67 min: Lookman drops a shoulder as he prepares to skin Tapsoba down the left. The Leverkusen defender is forced to take one for the team, grabbing a chunk of his shirt and ensuring the winger doesn’t tear clear. Into the book he goes.
66 min: Zappacosta drives slowly down the right and wins a throw deep in Leverkusen territory. That’s some good play, because there was nobody to find in the middle, and it’s eaten up a chunk of clock.
64 min: Wirtz floats a diagonal ball towards Grimaldo on the left-hand corner of the six-yard box. Musso comes off his line decisively to claim ahead of Grimaldo, who was winding his neck back for a header. Great goalkeeping, and brave too, because he’s taken a knock.
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62 min: Ederson, in an attempt to channel Xabi Alonso v Luton and Newcastle, tries to beat Kovar from the halfway line. Nope.
60 min: Zappacosta is booked for a clumsy tackle on Adli, who was making good down the left. No malice, just a total lack of timing, other than that of the comedic variety. Nothing comes of the resulting free kick.
59 min: Wirtz’s loose pass into the Atalanta box somehow finds its way through to Adli on the left. Adli flashes a cross into the mixer. Musso parries but the ball falls to Frimpong, who leans back and slashes a wild volley miles off target.
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57 min: Charles De Ketelaere is replaced by Mario Pašalić. When play restarts, Frimpong makes good ground down the right but his cross, intended for Boniface, is deflected towards the keeper by Ederson, who has been absolutely everywhere tonight. Musso gathers.
56 min: Hincapie is clocked around the jaw by Scamacca, but it looked accidental. The referee certainly sees it that way, and thankfully the Leverkusen defender is back up soon enough.
54 min: Leverkusen probe this way and that. Hincapie and Grimaldo combine down the left to earn a corner. They take it quickly and waste it. But the German champs have shown a clear improvement since the break.
52 min: A free kick for Bayer out on the left. Everyone loads the Atalanta box. But Grimaldo can’t clear the front man, which is nothing short of shocking, and Atalanta clear with a yawn. Musso still hasn’t had a serious save to make.
51 min: Frimpong drives down the right and threatens to tear clear, only for Ederson to step across him and flick out for a corner that comes to nothing. It’s a proper end-to-end game with both teams going for it. You know what they say about the next goal? Well, that.
50 min: Nothing comes of the corner.
49 min: Lookman slips Koopmeiners clear down the left. Koopmeiners crosses low. De Ketelaere waits to slam home, but Hincapie slides in to hook out for a corner, just in time.
47 min: Boniface’s first act is to drop deep and attempt to find Frimpong with a floated pass down the middle. It sails through to Musso.
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Leverkusen get the second half underway. Victor Boniface has come on for Josip Stanišić. Atalanta meanwhile have been forced to switch out Sead Kolašinac, who came out for the second half but limped off before it even started. He’s been suffering from a thigh problem. Giorgio Scalvini comes on in his place.
Half-time entertainment. Or all is not lost for Leverkusen.
HALF TIME: Atalanta 2-0 Bayer Leverkusen
Atalanta have been excellent, and this scoreline doesn’t flatter them at all. Xabi Alonso will need to make some changes. Leverkusen’s invincible coat is hanging on das Shügglipeg.
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45 min +1: Xhaka has a rake at goal from 25 yards. It’s a decent enough effort, albeit one that’s always bouncing wide of the bottom-right corner, and covered by Musso.
45 min: There will be two additional first-half minutes.
43 min: De Ketelaere cuts in from the right and fizzes a low shot towards the bottom right. Kovar is behind it all the way. Up the other end, some work for Kovar’s opposite number Musso to do, as he gathers Adli’s left wing cross with Frimpong lurking.
41 min: Frimpong has the opportunity to tear clear down the left but is shepherded out of harm’s way by a combination of Zappacosta and Ruggeri. To be fair to Frimpong, there was nobody in the middle for him to find. “If Atalanta go 3-0 up by half-time, this will suit Xabi Alonso down to the ground,” argues Istanbul nostalgist Gary Byrne.
39 min: Ederson slides in to steal the ball off the toe of Wirtz, and sends De Ketelaere away down the right. De Ketelaere finds Scamacca on the edge of the D, but the striker’s crowded out. Yet again, Atalanta look far sharper than their opponents.
38 min: Frimpong threatens to enter the Atalanta box on the left. Kolašinac comes across to stop him, at the expense of a corner that’s easily cleared. Leverkusen are beginning to carry a threat for the first time this evening.
37 min: Xhaka floats a clever pass down the inside-left channel. Wirtz, entering the box, thinks about bringing it down, but lets it bounce in front of him. That allows Musso to claim.
35 min: Grimaldo has an opportunity to wedge a loose bouncing ball over Musso, who is wandering around in no-man’s land. But he duffs the chip and the ball lands softly in Musso’s arms. Then Scamacca slides in aggressively on Adli. He’s booked, and so is Wirtz, for asking for the aforementioned booking.
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34 min: Xabi Alonso sends Victor Boniface out to warm up.
33 min: Bayer Leverkusen look shell-shocked. It’s all Atalanta at the moment. Musso hasn’t had any serious work to do yet.
31 min: Atalanta keep on keepin’ on. A glorious shovelled pass from Koopmeiners down the right nearly releases Zappacosta. Then Scamacca sends a bobbler straight at Kovar. They fancy a third. They look good for one, as well.
29 min: Adli goes over Kolašinac’s leg as the Atalanta defender sets about clearing a low right-wing cross. He wants a penalty, but he’s not getting anything, other than a few words in his ear from Zappacosta.
28 min: “Is today when Alonso has gone full Pep with his tactics?” wonders Ladka. “Too much tweaking.” Well, on TNT, Ally McCoist points out that having no defined centre forward may have cost Leverkusen there, with nobody to hold up Kovar’s clearance. Meanwhile Boniface and Schick sit on the bench.
GOAL! Atalanta 2-0 Bayer Leverkusen (Lookman 26)
What a goal this is! Seconds after bothering Leverkusen down the left, and having his cross claimed by Kovar, Lookman scores one of the great final goals! Kovar kicks clear. The ball comes straight back into the Leverkusen half. Lookman picks it up, drives at Xhaka down the inside-left channel, nutmegs the Bayer man, opens his body, and curls a sensational shot around Kovar and into the bottom right. Unstoppable! Sensational! Atalanta go two up!
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24 min: Replays of Lookman’s goal aren’t flattering to Palacios, who was stationary as the Atalanta winger nipped in from the left behind him and slotted. Palacois only realises what’s going on when it’s far too late. Take nothing away from Lookman, mind, whose movement was wonderful, his finish sublime.
23 min: The first booking of the evening as Palacios spins Djimsiti in the middle of the park and is clanked to the ground in the agricultural style. Nothing comes of the resulting free kick.
21 min: It’s all a bit scrappy. On the sideline, Xabi Alonso looks irritated, and issues his players some beneficial advice. Their passes aren’t sticking.
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19 min: Some space for Frimpong down the right. He cuts back for Wirtz, who can’t get a shot away. Stanisic has a go, but by now Atalanta have regrouped and swarmed, and the ball wafts harmlessly through to Musso. But that’s better from Leverkusen, who have finally shown up.
18 min: Hincapie hangs a leg across De Ketelaere and becomes the latest player to receive a lecture from the referee.
17 min: Leverkusen of course know a thing or two about coming from behind. So very little for them to worry about yet.
15 min: Now Zappacosta robs Wirtz in the same part of the pitch, and again the referee whistles generously in Leverkusen’s favour. The Germans need to wake up quickly, because Atalanta are threatening to do a proper number on them. They’re first to everything. Liverpool supporters may currently be experiencing flashbacks.
14 min: Zappacosta probes down the right and looks to have been fouled on the edge of the Leverkusen box. The referee blows for a foul the other way. Zappacosta incandescent.
GOAL! Atalanta 1-0 Bayer Leverkusen (Lookman 12)
What a fine goal this is! Lookman’s corner evades everyone, and Atalanta launch an attack on the right flank. Koopmeiners passes in from the white line, freeing Zappacosta down the channel. Zappacosta reaches the byline and cuts back low and hard. Lookman appears, ten yards out, and flicks an unstoppable shot into the top left. A well-deserved opener for Atalanta after their fast start!
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11 min: Kolašinac snaffles yet another loose Leverkusen pass and is nearly sprung clear when one-twoing with Lookman. Just a throw, but from that Éderson forces the first corner of the match. It’ll come in from that left flank courtesy of Lookman.
9 min: Koopmeiners is told what’s what by the referee, after a no-nonsense challenge on Palacios. Atalanta are pressing hard and fast and it’s bothering the new German champions.
8 min: Lookman dribbles dangerously down the left and feeds Ruggeri on the overlap. Ruggeri dinks a cross to the far post, where Scamacca beats Hincapie to a header, a cute nudge in the defender’s back making some room. The ball bounces harmlessly wide right, but that was a good move by Atalanta. You have to wonder whether VAR would have got involved had Scamacca scored, though.
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7 min: Tapsoba plays his own team into trouble with a loose pass in the middle of the park. Scamacca doesn’t take advantage, running down a cul-de-sac. But Atalanta come again, De Ketelaere being dragged down by Hincapie on the right wing. De Ketelaere takes the resulting free kick, but that one’s no good either.
5 min: A long ball hoofed into the Atalanta box. Musso comes off his line to confidently punch clear, with Kolašinac, who had been up for the aforementioned free kick, lurking dangerously.
4 min: Djimsiti charges into the back of Adli out on the right wing. He claims to have won the ball cleanly, but the referee says no. Everyone lines up on the edge of the box in anticipation of the free kick, but Wirtz’s delivery is no good. “So much hinges on Wirtz’s right thigh,” begins Andreas Kropp, channelling his inner William Carlos Williams. “Two weeks ago, he came on late v Roma, visibly in pain and limping across the pitch. Today he’s in the starting lineup and fully fit, according to Xabi - let’s hope it’s true! Leverkusen need his creativity.”
2 min: Leverkusen respond with a little bit of possession of their own. Again, nothing particularly noteworthy. Both teams carefully feeling their way into this match.
Atalanta get the 2024 Europa League final underway. They’re on the front foot immediately, Zappacosta, Koopmeiners and De Ketelaere combining down the right, albeit to no real effect. It’s a start, though.
The teams are out! An amazing atmosphere at the Aviva Stadium Dublin Arena. All European finals are special, but this one is between a club making its first appearance in a Uefa showpiece, and another making just its third, and its first for 22 years. So it’s got that little added something, with both sets of fans living the dream. Hey, look what I’ve just found! A very early MBM, from this very website’s Guardian Unlimited infancy, in which Raul appears to put Madrid 12-0 up on nine minutes. Aw, Li’l Guardian! Weren’t we sweet?!
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Our pre-match postbag is positively teeming with an email. Just as well it’s a good one. “Genuinely excited by this one,” begins Russell Yong. “One often sees people expressing disdain by wishing both teams could lose; this, for a change, is a game I dearly wish both could win. I don’t want to see Leverkusen’s unbeaten run end, but Bergamo, beautiful, lovely Bergamo, so dearly deserves a win. Dare I say it, I think Atalanta will edge it. They will be hungrier for their cup loss and their bench seems to have marginally more depth: Pasalic, de Roon, Hateboer, Toure and Miranchuk are all extremely handy players. A word too for their backup goalkeeper Carnesecchi which, I take it, translates to ‘dried meat’, which I like to think means he’s descended from a long line of jerky makers.”
Leverkusen coach Xabi Alonso speaks to TNT Sports: “In the Bundesliga we didn’t want to talk to early but we made it great … it’s for the history books now … now we want to keep going, keep doing history … we have a great chance … it’s going to be great but tough also … we have been focused … the supporters had to celebrate … but we had this final and another in Germany … this is the big one … the guys are ready and looking forward to it … the way we stick together as a team will be fundamental … it’s a final, but it’s a game … we have played so many games this year … it’s been a dream season for all of us … especially for our fans … we try to enjoy it with them, but our job is to perform on the pitch.”
Neither side fielded their strongest starting XIs at the weekend, so let’s not waste time counting changes, life’s too short. Instead, let’s simply celebrate the star names returning to the line-ups. For Atalanta, Ademola Lookman, formerly of Charlton, Everton, Fulham and Leicester, comes back to supply the bullets for Gianluca Scamacca to fire; the young Belgian winger Charles de Ketelaere completes their attacking trio. As for Leverkusen, Florian Wirtz, Granit Xhaka and Josip Stanišić return, Matěj Kovář takes his usual place between the sticks in Europe, but Victor Boniface drops to the bench despite being the club’s leading scorer this season with 21 goals, Xabi Alonso handling the striker’s return from a groin injury carefully. Not a bad option to throw on later.
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The teams
Atalanta Bergamasca Calcio: Musso, Djimsiti, Hien, Kolasinac, Zappacosta, Ederson Silva, Koopmeiners, Ruggeri, De Ketelaere, Lookman, Scamacca.
Subs: Toloi, Holm, Pasalic, Toure, de Roon, Bakker, Adopo, Carnesecchi, Rossi, Hateboer, Scalvini, Miranchuk.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen: Kovar, Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie, Stanisic, Palacios, Xhaka, Grimaldo, Frimpong, Wirtz, Adli.
Subs: Hradecky, Kossounou, Hofmann, Andrich, Iglesias, Arthur, Schick, Tella, Boniface, Hlozek, Puerta, Lomb.
Referee: Istvan Kovacs (Romania).
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Kit and caboodle. Atalanta are the designated “home” team tonight, so get to wear their black and blue stripes. Berat Djimsiti, standing in as captain ahead of Rafael Tolói, who has long lost his place, and the injured vice-captain Marten De Roon, will hand over a plush if busy pennant. Leverkusen captain Jonathan Tah, dressed in second-choice white and red, will give a neat looking red-and-yellow flag in return. Squint and you’ll spot it.
⚫️🔵🤜🤛🔴⚫️#AtalantaBayer04 #UEL #GoAtalantaGo pic.twitter.com/bBld8x3f6D
— Atalanta B.C. (@Atalanta_BC) May 22, 2024
Bereit! #UELfinal | #ATAB04 | #aCROSSeurope#Bayer04 | #Werkself | #UEL | #ForOurDream pic.twitter.com/amtyU5tf2S
— Bayer 04 Leverkusen (@bayer04fussball) May 22, 2024
Atalanta and Bayer Leverkusen have met before. Their only meetings came in the round of 16 in the 2021-22 edition of this competition. Atalanta won the first leg 3-2 at home, Luis Muriel their two-goal hero. The tie remained very much in the balance during the second leg in Leverkusen, until Jeremie Boga wrapped things up in the last minute, securing a 1-0 win on the night for Atalanta and a 4-2 aggregate victory. So while the Black and Reds are favourites tonight, the Black and Blues have recent history on their side.
Preamble
Welcome to our coverage of Jurgen Klopp’s valedictory … ah no, it wasn’t meant to be. West Ham United, Rangers and Brighton & Hove Albion’s dreams went up in smoke, too, along with those of some big names in European football: Milan, Benfica, Roma, Marseille, Sporting Lisbon, Villarreal, Ajax. All gone, and yet we’re still left with a mouthwatering denouement: Atalanta v Bayer Leverkusen, one of Europe’s most progressive sides contesting their first-ever European final, versus the newly crowned champions of Germany, a team who this season have forgotten how to lose.
Both are deserving finalists. Atalanta knocked out the new champions of Portugal, Sporting Lisbon, then steamrollered tournament favourites Liverpool. Leverkusen meanwhile performed absurd last-minute unbeaten-run-salvaging wonders again and again and again, against Qarabag, West Ham and Roma. It’s been a blast on both sides of the draw, and there’s no reason why tonight’s Dublin showpiece will be any different. So strap yourself in, grab the popcorn, treat yourself to a large pour, sit back and enjoy. Kick-off is at 8pm BST and we’ll go to extra time and penalties if absolutely necessary. It’s on!
